Israel conflict sparks competing rallies

Mendel Polichenco and his three-year-old son, Elimelch Polichenco from Tijuana, attend the Reach Out for Israel rally at Doyle Park in University City, held to show solidarity with Israel.
— Howard Lipin

Mendel Polichenco and his three-year-old son, Elimelch Polichenco from Tijuana, attend the Reach Out for Israel rally at Doyle Park in University City, held to show solidarity with Israel.
— Howard Lipin

UNIVERSITY CITY  Waving Israeli flags and posters saying “San Diego Stands With Israel,” more than 700 people sang and cheered Sunday afternoon during a rally aimed at strengthening support for that country as violence continued to escalate there.

Less than 100 yards away in the same University City park, more than 40 people staged a simultaneous counter-rally during which they described Israel’s latest combat missions in Gaza as war crimes and said the rising number of Palestinian civilians killed this month was unacceptable.

The groups were separated by a chain-link fence in 32-acre Doyle Community Park, and San Diego Police Lt. Misty Cedrun said both sides were cooperative and peaceful. In addition to eight police officers, the scene was secured by a larger private security team hired by the Jewish Federation of San Diego County, which sponsored the pro-Israel rally.

That gathering included several leaders of the local Jewish community and some elected officials.

“Israel is surrounded not only by nations that hate it, they are now surrounded on all sides by terror organizations,” said Rabbi Michael Berk of Congregation Beth Israel, contending that the country’s precarious situation made its latest military operations in Gaza warranted.

Rep. Susan Davis, D-San Diego, said Americans should support Israel not just out of sympathy but also because it’s in their self-interest to help the United States’ most important ally in the volatile Middle East.

“The security of Israel is central to the security of the United States,” she said.

Rep. Scott Peters, D-San Diego, said Sunday’s turnout indicates that local residents realize the importance of showing solidarity with Israel.

“I stand with Israel and San Diego stands with Israel,” he said. “Israel has not only the right to defend itself, but the obligation to defend itself and its children.”

A few men in the crowd wore yarmulkes, but most people wore ordinary clothing and the mood was more upbeat than somber. Some had balloon animals of blue and white — the colors of the Israeli flag — on their heads.

Jose Duran, minister at The Church of Jesus Christ the Mighty One of Israel in Escondido blows the shofar, a rams horn, during the Reach Out for Israel rally at Doyle Park in University City, held to show solidarity with Israel. — Howard Lipin

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Jose Duran, minister at The Church of Jesus Christ the Mighty One of Israel in Escondido blows the shofar, a rams horn, during the Reach Out for Israel rally at Doyle Park in University City, held to show solidarity with Israel.
— Howard Lipin

At the counter-rally, which was sponsored by the organization Jewish Voice for Peace, people wore stickers listing the names and dates of death for Gaza residents killed this month. Others carried signs saying “Jews Against Collective Punishment” and “Palestinian Lives are Valuable Too.”

Salam Hasenin, a Palestinian-American living in Rancho Peñasquitos, said Israel has overreacted to what its leaders describe as terrorist activity along the Gaza border.

“We’re here because we want to communicate that what’s happening to the Palestinians is wrong,” said Hasenin, adding that Israel has used “overwhelming force” against civilians in Gaza.

Jonathan Graubart, a North Park resident, said local Jews need to stop justifying what he called Israel’s unacceptable acts of violence.

“There’s been a sad lack of critical reflection or moral responsibility among the American Jewish community,” he said.